Earth Day is every day for OCC!

There has never been more eco-friendly, vegan, and organic products on the market so don't be shy - try something new! I for one am flipping over the Lip Tar and Concealer from OCC or Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Your eyes and lips are the most delicate parts of your face - not to mention the most fabulous! It feels so good to treat them right and show them just how beautiful they can be. OCC's products are 100% Vegan and Cruelty-Free and the range of shades is outstanding.

(l to r) OCC Lip Tar in "NSFW" and OCC Skin: Conceal in "Y2"

Choosing just one Lip Tar seemed unfair but with "NSFW" a "True, Balanced Red", I feel like I made the right choice. It's light in texture but saturated with color. Made with castor seed oil, hemp, peppermint and Vitamin E, its also surprisingly moisturizing.

Silicon-free concealers are very hard to find - especially in a shade that's perfect for me. OCC Skin: Conceal has it covered on two fronts, incorporating skin undertones (Red or Yellow) as well as your shade (0 is the palest, 5 is the darkest). It gentle but long-wearing - a new staple in my makeup bag.

So today, in addition to papering yourself, do something nice for Earth - she works hard for us but she can always use a little help. Any little bit counts so even is it's installing a smaller garbage bin in your house for recycling, always leaving a reusable tote in your car so that you don't have to use paper or plastic ones when running errands, or buying a reusable self-filtering water bottle instead of another case (one filter saves 300 plastic ones!!) There are so many things but I feel like these are easy to incorporate into anyone's routine. Start something today and stick with it tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that. Change starts with you and so why not say thanks by showing you do care.

Nailing it: butter London Spring 2013 Nail Lacquers

Spring is my favorite season so when it came to looking for new nail hues, I wanted colors that were fun, flirty and mirrored my excitement.  There was no shortage of collections to choose from - everyone from Essie to O.P.I. to Zoya attempted to catch my eye but the best shades seemed to come from across the pond. butter London's Lacquers may all be pastels but they seem to have popped right out of a pretty box of delectable macaroons. Aptly named Sweetie Shop, the collection includes (from left to right): Fiver (the prettiest mint you ever did see) Fruit Machine (a true bubblegum pink) Molly Coddled (a lovely lavender) and Kerfuffle (very cantaloupe-esque).

butter London Spring 2013:
(l to r): Fiver, Fruit Machine, Molly Coddled, and Kerfuffle

Having tried butter before, I know to expect a smooth, shiny finish with none of the bad stuff. Their 3 free formula and über pigmented polishes make them a guilty-but-actually-good-for-me pleasure.

(l to r): Molly Coddled, Fruit Machine, Fiver, Kerfuffle

Two additional shades that I did not purchase are Cuppa (yep, its coffee colored) and Jasper (a bright, sunshine yellow). Both are cute but not as fab as the other four - I had to have them! Could. Not. Leave. Them. There. The summer collection is about to debut in stores but this Sweetie Collection will be a tough act to follow.

Goodebox - The Subscription Beauty Box That's Actually Good For You

My favorite Goodebox samples from my last five boxes

It is sooooooo difficult to resist the temptation that is the subscription beauty box. Birchbox, Sample Society, Ipsy, Beautyfix - there are too many to just choose one! I had finally resolved to abstain completely as each box would most likely contain products that I could not use due to my silicone allergy UNTIL I stumbled upon Goodebox. For a reasonable $16 a month, 6-7 beauty, health, and wellness samples are delivered to my door from companies that are conscious of what we are putting into our bodies. Products are usually all-natural, organic, vegan or all of the above making silicone rare and me a happy girl. What's really great is that there are new and upcoming companies as well as already well-established ones like Pacifica and Weleda. After reflecting on six month's worth of boxes, here are some breakout stars:


Sugared Beauty's Happy Face Foaming Scrub Cleanser - This was in my first box back in October. It's a multitasking wonder that cleanses, polishes and leaves your face soft and naturally moisturized. At first it was confusing to think that this little pot packed with sugar could do all that but I was pleasantly surprised. Sugared Beauty combines the healthy benefits found in nature with with the joy of dessert and the result is definitely sweet.

Bar Beleza Multi-Use Beauty Bar from Me and The Girls - In the spirit of multitaskers, this organic bar can do anything - no seriously - ANYTHING! Its a cleanser, moisturizer, primer, and conditioner all in one twist up tube that makes it super portable. The secret is Cupuacu Seed Butter which melts from a solid to a liquid on contact. It could replace half of the items in my medicine cabinet...which is terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Sweet Libertine Cosmetics' Mineral Eyeshadow in Dragonfly - It's not all that common to find makeup in this box (one of my only complaints) so it was a surprise to finds a versatile mineral eyeshadow in the holiday box. It's subtle iridescence was perfect for the season but also natural enough for everyday. The vegan darling is sadly discontinued but there are plenty of other shades to choose from.

Lavender Whipped Shea Butter from Metropolis Soap - Lavender is my weakness so this vegan whipped shea butter from Brooklyn, NY was bound to become a quick favorite. Made by hand from only 4 ingredients this is perfect for my seriously dry skin. It really doesn't get any better than this!

Moom Hair Removal Kit - Last but certainly not least is a certified organic, heatless sugar wax that is honestly the least painful hair removal system hat I have ever tried. When it came in last month's box, I was super skeptical  I have had one too many bad eyebrow waxing experiences that have left me looking like a surprised cartoon character (my sister's words, not mine). So, we decided to let sleeping dogs lie and test this product on our upper lip. Neither of us have ever waxed or threaded our ladystaches but we were surprised by how easy it was to render our lips virtually hairless. This is something I would definitely repurchase even though the sample will last me a loooooooong time.


Overall, Goodebox does a great job of elevating lesser known brands and keeping their boxes fresh. While I'm sure everyone would like a little more say as to what is in their boxes, I am looking forward to what new brands the next box will introduce me to.

Does anyone have a subscription box they really love? Let me know in the comments section below!

My April Picks!!

This is a new segment that I'm trying out and I hope you all will come to  enjoy! It is a way for me to spotlight things I have tried and loved each month without doing videos on each thing individually. I recently returned from vacation with lots of interesting goodies and a few of them made it in to my list. I will link each item to it's website so you can see it and other products in the line. Here we go!

One of the brands I discovered whilst on my mini vacation was called Lollia. It is a collection by Margot Elena that focuses on luxury bath and toilettres like sweet perfumes, beautiful candles, and even bath salt and shower gels. The packaging is devine and I couldn't resist trying their tiny Little Luxe Eau de Parfum in "Breathe" or their Petite Treat Handcreme in "Wish". Both scents are fantastic - "breathe" is a light gathering of peony, white lily, grapefruit, and orange while "wish" is a but richer with notes of vanilla, rice flavor, jasmine, and sugar. Any item from these collection would make a beautiful and very memorable gift!

Unbeknownst to me, the designer behind Lollia also created Tokyo Milk, a brand that I was introduced to about a year ago (I love their solid perfumes!) Once I realized this, I went in search of more from this line and came across Tokyo Milk Dark Conditioning Lip Balm in "Coco Noir". A very sensual line, I was immediately drawn to the notes of rum, cherry, and cacao and decided on the balm to nourish my lips which always seem dry by the time morning comes. Turns out, it works!

Now this next one might seem a but random but I was really excited to find these. In the same little boutique I found the Lollia items, I saw the cutest Wooster & Prince Emery Boards and was immediately skeptical. I find that with nail files, if they're cute, they don't work and if they're tough, they strip your nail too much, leaving you with rough edges. With these, however, I had a Goldilocks moment - they're just right AND too freaking cute!

 

My last pick for this month is kinda an oldie but a goodie. I have use Josie Maran's Argan Oil and I loved it but when I saw these new limited edition bottles from her Model Citizen collection, I couldn't resist. I felt like I was doing a mini good deed since 10% of the proceeds go to the model who designed the bottle's charity of choice. I chose Angela Lindvall's bottle because I loved her design and her proceeds go to Healthy Child Healthy World. I believe these are only at Sephora for a limited time so be sure to check them out!

Thanks so much for supporting this new segment - stay tuned for my May picks!

Review: Shop MAC/Cook MAC 2012

Hello my darlings!! I'm very excited because MAC's Spring collection has come out strong with a powerful pop of color. I was immediately in love with everything but I also wanted something new - something I didn't have...

My picks from the FABULOUS new MAC collections: Cook MAC (left) and Shop MAC (right)!!

Kissable Lipcolour (l) and Tendertone Lip Balm (r)

From Cook MAC: Tendertone Lip Balm  in "Hush, Hush"

From Shop MAC: Kissable Lipcolour  in "Scan-delicious"

"Hush, Hush" (l) and "Scan-delicious" (r)

From the Shop MAC collection there is the Kissable Lipcolour which I show in "Scan-delicious". It's a lipstick/lip gloss hybrid and is super pigmented. I'm not entirely sure about the "kissable" part but my lips are loving how this feels ;-)

Then, from the Cook MAC Collection, there is the Tendertone Lip Balm - a lip balm/lip gloss hybrid in "Hush, Hush". It has SPF 12 and tastes like Lip Smackers!! I love it for everyday because it's the perfect, gloss nude with added sun protection.

In all, I'm loving these new limited edition lip products. They are great additions to any MAC collection but if I were you, I'd get them before they're gone!! There are several more shades to choose from so be sure to check out a store near you.

till next time,
The Mixx Chic